Chapter 120: Support
Duan Jianfeng is a well-known figure in City A. The history of his rise to wealth is as thick as a book, but what people talk about most is not his business empire, but his romantic affairs.
It is said that Duan Jianfeng was a poor boy when he was young. He went to the city to attend university and was spotted by the daughter of the Wang Group. He was so obsessed with the rich girl that she got pregnant before marriage. He was also a "clever" person. He kicked out his original wife and found another one. In addition, he had good means and worked hard to get to his current position.
There are mixed opinions about Duan Jianfeng, but it is undeniable that he has obtained everything that most people in this world dream of.
Such a powerful person, facing Tang Rufeng's cold attitude, did not show anger, but said in a gentle tone: "Rufeng, I came to see your mother. I heard that she is sick and in the hospital. If you need..."
"unnecessary."
Tang Rufeng interrupted coldly: "She doesn't want to see you, so don't see her."
Tang Rufeng's disgust for Duan Jianfeng had reached an alarming level, and he couldn't even breathe the same air with him. He turned around and left, returning directly to the ward and slamming the door shut.
"Bang!"
Tang's mother was startled by the sound of the door closing. Fortunately, the other two beds were not occupied, otherwise she would definitely be scolded. She sat up and asked worriedly, "Rufeng, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Rufeng himself didn't realize that his face looked particularly ugly, and there seemed to be a ball of dark ink in his eyes. After hearing his mother's words, he tried his best to calm down and said, "Nothing, there are a lot of people at the sink, I'll go wash the dishes later."
He stopped talking and sat down beside the bed in silence. He took out an orange from the plastic bag on the table and peeled the skin carefully and slowly. The flesh inside was dry and lacked moisture. It was a discounted product in the fruit store. It was tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away. However, for them, it was a rare luxury.
Tang's mother leaned on the pillow, remembering something, and muttered to herself, "I remember your father liked to eat oranges the most..."
Tang Rufeng's eyelashes trembled violently when he heard this. His fingertips lost control of their strength and he almost crushed the orange in his hand into mud. He frowned and exhaled slowly, his tone icy and piercing: "You haven't forgotten him yet."
Tang's mother closed her eyes and said, "Rufeng, I haven't had a good sleep in the past few years. It's not because I miss him, but because I hate him too much. I want to drink his blood and eat his flesh in my dreams!"
It's not only love that can be unforgettable, hatred can do the same.
Tang's mother's face was worn by poverty, with the words "weak and vulnerable" almost engraved on her forehead. However, when she mentioned Duan Jianfeng, a shocking hatred burst out from her eyes, and her tears were clearly visible.
Tang Rufeng threw the rotten orange into the trash can, took out a tissue and wiped his hands vigorously. He lowered his eyes and pursed his lips into a straight line: "He has nothing to do with us, don't think about him anymore."
Tang Rufeng felt that the person did not deserve to live in their memories.
The hospital is a place where birth and death coexist. You can hear the loud cries of babies and the desperate cries of people dying. After nightfall, the ward is unbearably quiet, the air is filled with a faint smell of disinfectant, and even dreams are bitter.
Tang Rufeng put two chairs together to make a place to sleep. He hadn't slept much in the past few days, and he fell asleep soon after leaning on the back of the chair. However, those faces kept appearing in his dreams.
"Hey, you two beggars, get out of my house quickly and don't rob my dad!"
In front of the beautiful European-style garden steps stood a little boy, about five or six years old. He had a cute face and wore clean and expensive clothes. He held a pebble in his hand and threw it directly at the woman and boy standing at the bottom of the steps, hitting the little boy right on the forehead.
“Dang—!”
The rubble bounced and hit the ground heavily, carrying with it the heavy cruelty and malice of a six-year-old child.
"Rufeng! Are you okay?!"
The woman panicked and covered the boy's forehead. Seeing the blood flowing out, she was so panicked that she couldn't control herself. She shouted anxiously into the closed door: "Doctor! Call a doctor! Duan Jianfeng! Do you still want to save your son's life?"
Under the scorching sun, the scene inside the villa could be clearly seen through the transparent glass window. A woman with a delicate face was lying on the sofa and crying quietly. A man in a suit was pacing anxiously on the carpet. He bent down several times to coax her, but was pushed away by the woman. The word "divorce" could be vaguely heard during the argument.
Obviously, they didn't care about the drama outside.
The woman holding the child outside cried even more loudly: "Duan Jianfeng! Are you a human being? Your parents are dying of illness, and they are lying in bed waiting for you to come back and take a last look at them! Otherwise, I would never come to find you even if I die! Have you let a dog eat your conscience?"
"Duan Jianfeng! Get out of here right now! You beast, I worked so hard in the countryside to support your studies, and this is how you treat me! You've lost your heart in looking for a concubine!"
The little boy on the steps ran down and kicked the woman hard, shouting angrily, "Don't scold my mother! You are the concubine! Your whole family are beggars!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy who was curled up in the woman's arms suddenly rushed out and pushed him to the ground. Although the blood on his forehead was still wet, his handsome face was full of stubbornness, like a little beast baring its teeth: "You are not allowed to bully my mother!!"
The two little boys immediately wrestled on the ground, punching each other, and their faces and noses were bruised. Then the man who had not stepped out of the house for six hours finally rushed out. He pushed the younger boy aside, picked up the crying son on the ground, and asked anxiously: "Ayang, are you okay?!"
The boy cried out in a breathless voice: "Dad... Dad... quickly drive those two beggars away... They bullied me... They bullied me..."
Another boy stood in the middle of the yard, his body thin and straight, his shoulders barely able to support the washed-out clothes on his body. He didn't cry or make a fuss, his dark eyes staring at the well-dressed man not far away, he slowly raised his hand to wipe the blood from his forehead, and uttered a few words in a hoarse voice:
"You are not my father anymore—"
These words thus drew a line between the two of them.
Later, Tang's mother took Tang Rufeng back to the countryside in despair, borrowed money to handle the funeral of her parents-in-law, and a life of wandering began. During this period, Duan Jianfeng never went back once, until his second wife died, then he looked for them a few times, but without exception, he was scolded away by Tang Rufeng.
This dream was neither long nor short. It was so long that it haunted Tang Rufeng for half of his life, yet so short that dawn had already appeared before he could even blink.
When Tang Rufeng woke up from his chair, his mind was still a little confused. He moved his body and felt pain all over his body. He looked at the bed next to him and asked, "Mom, get up. What do you want to eat for breakfast? I'll go downstairs..."
Before he finished speaking, he found that the bed was empty and the quilt was still warm. He was stunned for a moment: "Mom?"
Suddenly, there was a sound of something heavy falling in the bathroom, as if someone had accidentally fallen. Tang Rufeng's face changed and he rushed in immediately, only to see Tang's mother lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Her face was pale and she had already lost consciousness.
"Mom!!!"
This hospital is built in a busy downtown area. Downstairs, there is a constant flow of traffic and sirens are blaring. A black commercial vehicle is parked quietly on the side of the road, neither moving nor leaving, which seems a bit out of place.
Tang Rufeng saw the commercial vehicle as soon as he went downstairs. There was a middle-aged man sitting by the window. It was Duan Jianfeng. He seemed to be waiting for someone. He looked out the window frequently. When he found Tang Rufeng standing not far away, he smiled strangely.
Tang Rufeng walked forward. Outside the half-lowered car window were his dark and sharp eyes. Now that the mist had dissipated, he finally revealed a hint of hatred: "What on earth do you want to do?"
He didn't think that a busy man like Duan Jianfeng would come to such a place for no reason.
Duan Jianfeng was not angry either: "I am your father. Is this how you treat your elders?"
He kept calling himself a father, but he had been acting like a beast for so many years. Even when talking to Tang Rufeng, he only dared to lower the car window by five centimeters, as if he was afraid that the other party would pick up a stone from the ground and throw it at him.
Tang Rufeng has indeed done this.
The word "father" angered Tang Rufeng. He suddenly slammed the car window with his palm, his eyes dark and dangerous: "I said, you are not my father, don't come to me in the future!"
Duan Jianfeng asked back, "What about your mother's surgery fee? Do you want to watch her die?"
With Duan Jianfeng's financial resources, he could have arranged everything privately. Even some secret arrangements could have made the lives of the mother and son better, but he didn't.
He was waiting for Tang Rufeng to come and beg him.
He was waiting for this arrogant son to come and beg him in person.
After a long silence, Tang Rufeng managed to utter, "She would rather die in the hospital than ask you for a dime. She thinks it's dirty!"
Every penny Duan Jianfeng earned now was stained with the blood of his wife and children, and the blood of his parents. Tang Rufeng stood up slowly, took a step back, turned around and left.
The secretary sitting in the driver's seat whispered, "Chairman, although he is your biological son, he is too cruel. If you take him back, not to mention the eldest son, your personal safety cannot be guaranteed."
It wasn't that he was exaggerating, it was just that Tang Rufeng's gaze was too penetrating. The secretary had no doubt that if he had a knife in his hand, he would stab it into Duan Jianfeng's stomach.
Duan Jianfeng said meaningfully: "It's better to be ruthless. Only by being ruthless can you succeed. This is the most similar to me. Jiyang is still a little indecisive."
Duan Jianfeng was able to get to his current position because of his ruthlessness. Because he was ruthless enough, he could even resist the urge to watch his biological parents pass away. Because he was ruthless enough, he abandoned his original wife who paid for his schooling. Because he was ruthless enough, he swallowed up his second wife's family company after marriage.
No matter what, if he was a little soft-hearted, nothing would be accomplished.
Tang Rufeng's peaceful life was completely disrupted by Duan Jianfeng's appearance. Not long after he returned to the hospital, before he had time to sort out his confused thoughts, he was told by the doctor to pay the surgery fee as soon as possible because his mother's condition was worsening.
"You are Tang Wanyin's family, right? This is the bill. Please go to the inpatient department as soon as possible to complete the payment procedures. The surgery will begin on Tuesday. The patient has woken up from her coma. The family must take good care of her and never let her go to the bathroom by herself."
The few light pieces of paper seemed as heavy as gold in Tang Rufeng's hands. The strings of numbers were like a heavy mountain, pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe, and his heart was almost numb.
He sat in the hospital corridor, flipping through his empty address book over and over again, looking for everyone who could lend him money, but it was still a drop in the bucket. Finally, he asked a temporary nurse to help look after Tang's mother, left the hospital without saying a word, stopped a car on the side of the road and left.
"What? You want to go back to work?"
The bar manager looked at Tang Rufeng standing in front of him and wondered if he had heard wrongly: "It was you who insisted on resigning at first, and now you want to come back. Rufeng, you know that the salary here is much higher than outside, and there is no shortage of people."
Tang Rufeng was wearing a baseball cap with the brim pulled down low, so his face could not be seen clearly. He was wearing a black jacket and a sports bag slung across his body. He looked tall and thin, young and student-like, and did not fit in with the extravagant environment around him.
He was a loner, taciturn, and could not say anything soft to beg. But this time, he lowered his head, which was unusual for him: "I'm sorry, manager, my mother is in the hospital. She will have surgery next Tuesday. I need the surgery fee urgently..."
The manager shook his head slightly, and seemed to sneer: "Next Tuesday, there are still four days left. Even if I let you come back to work, you have to work for a full month to get your salary. Far away water cannot quench near thirst. Rufeng, I really can't help you this time, unless you learn from those young masters and sell your smiles and body to the customers, maybe you can make some money."
Under the light from the overhead lights, he could clearly see Tang Rufeng's miserable face. His lips were tightly pursed into a straight line, and the feeling of powerlessness and humiliation all over his body was almost overflowing.
"Crack."
The door opened and closed, and Tang Rufeng left the manager's office in a daze. When he walked out of that door, it was as if he had stepped into another world of drunkenness and dreaming. His eyes were filled with gorgeous lights, and dancing music surged from all directions like a tide, confusing his vision and hearing, and his temples were throbbing with pain.
In a trance, Tang Rufeng seemed to have bumped into someone accidentally. He stumbled and was about to fall when someone suddenly held his arm. A familiar voice rang in his ears: "Are you okay?"
Tang Rufeng looked up subconsciously, and a familiar face instantly came into view. It was Lu Yan. Behind him were several young men, and their playful glances moved back and forth between them, which seemed to have some profound meaning.
Tang Rufeng stood up straight and shook his head.
Lu Yan's collar was stained with a faint smell of alcohol, and it was obvious that he had drunk a lot today. Two buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, and his sexy collarbone flashed by. His eyes fell on Tang Rufeng, and he smiled inexplicably: "Didn't you resign? Why are you here again?"
Before Tang Rufeng could say anything, a man with silver-white hair behind him smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, you are asking even though you already know the answer. How could I have run into you if I didn't come to work here? Besides, if he quits his job, will you support him?"
The last time Lu Yan cheated on his wife, it caused a big uproar in the city. Those who were drinking together knew that the waiter was Tang Rufeng, so they teased her without restraint and in an extremely ambiguous manner.
Lu Yan raised his hand slightly, signaling them not to make such a joke. His eyes were half closed due to drunkenness, but his voice was low and clear: "Where are you going? I'll take you there."
Tang Rufeng reminded: "You've been drinking."
Lu Yan laughed, and at that moment he looked like a mischievous child: "I have a driver."
Lu Yan just asked casually because he didn't think Tang Rufeng would agree, but he didn't expect the other party to be silent for a moment and whispered: "Then can you take me home?"
Mare Tang is about to have surgery, so she needs to prepare some spare clothes in advance.
Lu Yan was startled when he heard this, then he nodded and agreed readily: "Okay."
He ignored the meaningful looks from his friends and took Tang Rufeng out of the bar in the car. Unlike the previous times when they were distant from each other, this time they both sat in the back seat.
After giving the address, the driver drove towards the destination.
Lu Yan half leaned against the car window to rest his mind. The light and shadows outside passed over his face one by one, making him look more handsome and profound. In his drowsiness, he heard Tang Rufeng suddenly call him, "Lu Yan."
Lu Yan hummed lazily: "What's wrong?"
Tang Rufeng was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Please support me."
“Squeak—!”
It was the sound of the driver slamming on the brakes. The people in the car were tilted forward for a moment due to the force and were almost thrown out.
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